Sunday, August 10, 2014

If this were a Republican Primary you can bet the farm the press would be all over it. How often does an incumbent Governor, in this case Gov Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii, receive UNDER 32% of the vote in an election?

President Obama went as far as to call Governor Abercrombie his "Ohana", or brother, in robocalls. And Abercrombie went on to lose by better than a 2-1 margin despite outspending his opponent 10 to 1!

Hawaii Democratic Gov. Neil Abercrombie, in a historic loss, was
soundly defeated in Saturday's primary by a state senator, while the
island's marquee U.S. Senate race remained too close to call.
Abercrombie's loss to state Sen. David Ige makes him the first
sitting governor in state history to lose a primary for reelection. It
came amid concerns about tax hike proposals and his leadership style.
With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Ige had received 67.4 percent of the vote to 31.5 percent for Abercrombie.
In the Democratic Senate primary, incumbent U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz
held a narrow lead over Rep. Colleen Hanabusa early Sunday morning, with
votes still being counted.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Schatz had 49.4 percent of
the vote, while Hanabusa had tallied 48.6 percent of the vote. The two
were separated by fewer than 2,000 votes out of more than 210,000
ballots cast. The election could come down to two precincts on the Big
Island that have not yet voted due to Tropical Storm Iselle.
The race had divided Hawaii Democrats because Abercrombie nominated
Schatz, his lieutenant governor, to replace longtime Sen. Daniel Inouye
after his death in 2012, despite Inouye saying he wanted Hanabusa to
succeed him.
Hanabusa had attracted many of Inouye's supporters, though Schatz
outspent Hanabusa by more than $1 million and his ads dominated Hawaii's
airways. Hanabusa evoked Inouye's name throughout the campaign,
aligning herself with the traditional Hawaii political establishment,
while Schatz touted his endorsement from Obama.
The winner of the primary will face businessman and former state lawmaker Cam Cavasso in November's general election.
Abercrombie's defeat comes after President Barack Obama last month
urged residents of his native state to back the governor, invoking the
Hawaiian word for family in a radio ad by saying Abercrombie is "like
ohana to me."
Abercrombie conceded the race to supporters, calling his four years
as governor "a singular honor," then headed to Ige's election night
party, where the two men, both adorned with leis, joined hands and
raised their arms in the air on stage together.
"For 40 years going back to 1974 -- really at about this time --
every waking breath that I've taken, every thought that I had before I
slept was for Hawaii," he told supporters. "It was for you. For all the
brothers and sisters over these past 40 years that have given me the
privilege and the honor to serve Hawaii's people."
Ige said he offered an alternative for voters who are unhappy with
Abercrombie's proposal last year to raise several taxes, as well as his
political style. Ige promised in a campaign flier that "there will be no
name-calling when I disagree with anyone, no disparaging remarks toward
anyone, no taking sole credit for collective achievements or blaming
others when things go wrong."
Ige mounted his challenge against Abercrombie despite being outspent
by about 10 to 1. While Abercrombie tore through $4.9 million through
July 25, Ige spent just $447,000, according to Hawaii's Campaign
Spending Commission.
Abercrombie is the first sitting governor from any state to lose a
primary since Missouri's Bob Holden was defeated by Claire McCaskill in
2004.